Stretching
Stretch at the beginning and end of every workout. Stretching before your workout increases flexibility and helps prevent muscle strain or injury. Stretching after your workout loosens tight muscles and helps prevent soreness.
•Stretch before warm up and after cool down.
•Stretch slowly and gently. Never bounce or stretch to a point of pain.
•Hold each stretch for
Warm Up & Cool Down: 55% or Less of Max. HR
Begin and end every workout with a slow and gradual warm up and cool down, respectively, Smoothly easing into and out of strenuous activity helps your body prepare your metabolism and blood flow to efficiently break down fat and change from one intensity level to another. Going into your Heart Rate Target Zone too quickly can cause your heart rate to increase too rapidly. Rapid increase of the heart rate could compromise consistent energy levels during a workout.
•Slowly bring your heart rate to a level just below the lower limit of your Heart Rate Target Zone.
•Maintain your heart rate at this level for 5 to 10 minutes.
The Fat Burning Zone: 55%-65% of Max.HR
The Fat Burning Zone is recommended for those who are not in adequate physical shape. This is the ideal zone for those who are beginning to exercise regularly, would like to loose weight, and are at high risk for heart problems. It is intended for low intensity and/or long duration exercise. Exercising at a lower intensity allows for a longer, continuous exercising period. For weight loss and new exercise programs, longer, continuous, low intensity workouts are safer and more beneficial. Slow and steady wins the race!
•Duration: Build up gradually to 30 to 60 minutes per workout.
•Frequency: Workout 3 or 4 times per week.
The Aerobic Zone: 65%-85% of Max. HR
The Aerobic Zone is recommended for those in good physical condition who have been exercising on a consistent basis for an extended period of time. Exercising at this range helps improve your fitness level and prevent injury
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from excessive training.
•Duration: 20 to 30 minutes per workout.
•Frequency: At least 3 or 4 times per week.
The Anaerobic Zone: 85% to Max HR
The Anaerobic Zone is ONLY recommended for to professional athletes or those in exception physical condition. This zone can also be used for interval training (high intensity for short durations) to help enhance overall strength and endurance.
Monitor your Progress
Heart rate fluctuations during physical activity can be tracked and documented to determine overall health and fitness progress. As the cardiovascular system becomes stronger, the resting heart rate will decrease. It will require more intensive physical activity to reach the target zone and less time for the heart rate to recover.
Higher than usual resting heart rate and slower than usual heart rate recovery could be an indication of strain of the heart from strenuous exercise or dehydration. Resting for a day, lower intensity exercising, and replenishing the body with fluids are advised. If your heart rate activity does not return to normal, please consult a doctor.
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3.2 Getting to Know Heat Index
The Heat Index combines the effects of heat and humidity. When heat and humidity combine to reduce the amount of evaporation of sweat from the body, outdoor exercise becomes dangerous even for those in good physical condition. Key rules for coping with heat are to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, slow down, and cool off when feeling fatigued, headache, a high pulse rate or shallow breathing. Overheating can cause serious, even
based on the Apparent Temperature.
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